Serpent in the Snow
by Spunky0ne
Summary: After being badly injured while fighting off the last desperate quincy fighters, Toshiro collapses and wakes to find himself blind, and in the company of a mysterious man, who cannot speak. He escapes after a short imprisonment, but soon realizes that the man who saved him was someone who shouldn't even be alive…yaoi, mpreg…Gin/Toshiro, Byakuya/Tetsuya, Urahara/Ichigo)
1. In the Aftermath

**Serpent in the Snow**

**By Spunky0ne**

**(After being badly injured while fighting off the last desperate quincy fighters, Toshiro collapses and wakes to find himself blind, and in the company of a mysterious man, who cannot speak. He escapes after a short imprisonment, but soon realizes that the man who saved him was someone who shouldn't even be alive…yaoi, mpreg…Gin/Toshiro, Byakuya/Tetsuya, Urahara/Ichigo)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: In the Aftermath**

Hitsugaya Toshiro knew very well that the scene in front of his eyes was not real as he wandered aimlessly through an odd, darkened forest, listening to the eerie hiss of wind through the skeletal branches and the swish of leaves being scattered about. He shivered as the icy breeze cut easily through his too light clothing, but felt relief that, considering his power type, the cold, though uncomfortable, would not actually hurt him.

_Or could it?_ he wondered with growing apprehension, _I am dreaming, after all. I wonder if I am still alive. I was back in the Seireitei, searching the ruins of Muken for escaped prisoners, when a group of rogue quincies attacked suddenly. They knew exactly how and when to enter from the shadows, so that I had no time to react. I collapsed with my sword still sheathed, it was so fast. They fled at the sound of approaching forces. I felt myself being lifted and I might have groaned because it hurt._

_But whoever rescued me didn't make a sound._

_Where am I now? Am I alive or dead? I don't even know. If I can think, I'll hope I'm still alive. But, I have to wake up. I have to get out of here!_

He looked around at the dead trees, listening carefully. A little shiver went through him as he sensed the close presence of something that seemed horrendously evil. He was reminded, then, of a crazy old man who had used to come through the Rukongai district where he grew up, muttering warnings of terrifying monsters, worse than hollows, who would eat the souls of all it found. In a place like this dream he inhabited, such a thing seemed frighteningly possible. His feet came to a sudden stop as a thought occurred to him.

_I can try to enter my inner world! Maybe, if I can do that, I can break out of this dream. If not, I don't know what else I can do._

He found a little clearing and drew his sword. Then, he sat down, cross-legged and balance the sword on its tip in front of him.

"Hyorinmaru," he breathed softly, reaching out with his senses.

He felt a tiny flicker of the icy spirit's reiatsu, but it faded quickly. In front of him, his sword glimmered strangely for a moment, then inexplicably, it began to fade away.

"Hyorinmaru!" he cried, leaping to his feet.

He reached out, grabbing at the hilt of the sword, only to watch his hand pass through as the sword slowly disappeared. Toshiro looked around frantically, looking for somewhere, anywhere that the dream scene might be weak.

But all he could see was dead forest. All he could smell was rotting foliage and mud. The chill wind sliced through him, making his slim body shake all over and his chattering teeth clenched as small, tight breaths escaped him.

"What is this place?" he yelled, "Let me out of here! I need to get out!"

Out of the corner of an eye, he saw a flash of bright silver. With nothing else to do, he broke into a run, shouting at whatever the light was around.

"Hey! HEY, STOP! I need help!"

He skidded to a stop as blackness crashed down all around him, making the freakish trees he had been running through disappear. The ground fell away under his feet and Toshiro screamed as his body fell for what seemed like a horribly long time. At some point, it seemed that the blackness opened like a mouth and swallowed him whole. He lost consciousness, waking later, unsure how long he had been out.

The first thing he felt was that his head was throbbing painfully and he was shivering uncontrollably. His body seemed to be firmly wrapped, so that he should have been warm, but he only felt damp and cold. He sensed that someone was sitting beside him and tried to open his eyes, but all he could see was a milky greyness with a shadowy mass where the person was.

"I can't see!" he gasped, trying to sit up.

Strong hands pushed him back down.

"N-no! Let me up!" he objected, trying to sit up again, "Who are you? Where am I? Where have you taken me? Why can't I see?"

He heard breath escaping the person beside him, then a barely understandable hissed word.

"H-hurt. Fever."

"I'm sick?" Toshiro managed shakily.

"Who…who are you? Please, tell me."

The person with him seemed to gather himself and forced out another word.

"Yuki."

The man dissolved into a fit of hard coughs and disappeared from his side for several minutes before returning to him and sitting down again. He helped the injured taicho into a seated position and brought a cup of hot tea to his lips.

"Mmmm, thank you," Toshiro panted gratefully, "Thank you, Yuki."

His rescuer gently patted his hand.

"S-so, you can't talk?" he asked, "Just tap the back of my hand to answer. One for yes and two for no."

There was a pause, and then he felt one light tap.

"Was it an injury?" he asked.

The person tapped once.

"I know someone who may be able to help you," Toshiro offered, "I just need to get to the first division. Are we in the Seireitei?"

The person tapped the back of his hand twice.

"Where are we?" he whispered, "Are we in Soul Society?"

The person tapped once.

Toshiro stiffened as a thought came to him.

_I just need to send a hell butterfly._

He extended a hand, willing the creature to manifest, but he felt no power at all flowing through him.

_My powers aren't working at all?_

"Yuki," he said urgently, "I need you to get a message to the Seireitei…"

"Can't," Yuki croaked, "walk."

There was a long pause before he finished.

"Far."

"I need to get back," Toshiro insisted, "I need a healer…to find my friends. My comrades. I don't know how I got here! Did you bring me here?"

Yuki tapped twice.

"Hollow," he croaked.

He erupted into a fit of coughs and left the room again.

_What can I do?_ Toshiro wondered, _I can't see to go anywhere. I have no powers._

Noting that he was alone, he sat up slowly, extending a hand to make sure that he didn't bump into anything. He moved to the edge of the bed and very slowly tried to rise, only to feel unbearable pain in his back and legs that made him howl in agony and fall back on the bed. Yuki was at his side instantly, his warm hands infusing the white-haired taicho with healing power.

"You have some healing power," he noted, "Thank you, Yuki. But I need more healing. Can you help me get back to the Seireitei? I need to go home!"

Yuki paused for a moment, then tapped twice on the back of his hand.

"Yuki, please!"

"Can't!" the other man hissed, "Kill!"

Toshiro stiffened.

"Someone is trying to kill you?"

Yuki tapped once.

Toshiro sighed and relaxed against the pillows.

"Have you been hiding from this person for a long time?" he asked.

Yuki tapped once.

"I can help you," Toshiro suggested, "but I need you to help me. I have to get back to the Seireitei."

He wasn't sure how he felt it, but he sensed the shiver that went through the other man. He took Toshiro's hand and brought it to his heart, then tapped once gently on the back.

"Are you…promising to take me back? When it's safe?" he asked, "When I'm well enough?"

Yuki tapped once.

Toshiro nodded.

"Okay, I'll cooperate with you. I won't try to leave until I'm well enough. Even if not for my back and legs, I can't see anyway. I'd just…get lost…hurt. But you promise to take me back?"

Yuki tapped once, then patted his face gently.

"Okay," Toshiro said, settling against the pillows, "Okay. I can wait a little, I guess. At least, when my powers start to come back, I can call for help or something. Thank you for taking care of me, Yuki."

Yuki's warm hand squeezed his in reply. He left the room briefly and returned a few minutes later with a large bowl of something hot that smelled savory.

"Soup?" Toshiro inquired.

The man brought a spoonful to his mouth and Toshiro groaned with delight at the delicious taste of salty meat, freshly cooked vegetables and a thick gravy.

"Oh, that is good!" Toshiro managed while gulping down several mouthfuls, "I thought my grandma made good stew, but this is amazing."

The other man made a sound of amusement.

"Sick," he hissed.

"It's not just because I'm sick," Toshiro chuckled, smiling around another mouthful, "You're a great cook, Yuki. What're you doing all alone out here? Wherever we are."

"Hiding."

Toshiro felt a twinge of sympathy.

"Right," he answered, "someone is after you."

He could feel the man's eyes on him, but Yuki gave no answer. He just continued to offer Toshiro bite after bite of the delicious stew, until his belly felt ready to burst and he was overtaken with sleepy yawns. He sank down into a more restful sleep, dimly aware of Yuki entering the room several times to wash his face and chest and to offer him more tea. He lost track of time, burrowing under the covers and sleeping deeply.

_I don't know what made the awful dreams I was having go away_, he mused when he woke again, _The war was a horrible, terrible thing. I don't think I'll ever forget how it felt when that quincy girl made Rangiku and me into zombies, and I didn't know if we would ever be able to change back. I took more damage than I ever have in battle. I did complete my bankai, but the tradeoff of using it was that I had to assume this grown up body forever. I don't know how to feel about that._

_But…maybe it's time to grow up._

_Nothing is like it used to be._

_Even though the quincies have been defeated, everything is in ruins._

He heard a little whimper, then felt Yuki's damp washcloth wiping tears from his face.

_I am in a grown up body…but I can't stop crying._

He felt Yuki's warm fingers running through the wild spikes of his hair.

"S-sorry," Yuki hissed, "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," Toshiro sighed, It's just that the war with the quincies was…"

He couldn't find the right word, so he left the comment hanging. Yuki's hands caressed his face and he leaned forward touching his lips to the young taicho's forehead.

"Evil," he hissed, squeezing Toshiro's hands, "Sorry."

"It's okay," Toshiro assured him, "I'll be okay."

Yuki's hands released his, and the other man started to stand.

"Where are you going?" Toshiro asked, "I sense we're in a small cabin. Is…this the only bed?"

Yuki hesitated, then tapped once.

"Well, if I'm going to be here awhile, getting well, I don't want you to have to sleep somewhere uncomfortable. The bed is pretty big. We could share."

Yuki made a little sound of surprise and stood still for a time. After a few moments of thought, he walked around to the far side of the bed and slid in.

"Not that I usually mind being alone," Toshiro said quietly as the two laid side-by-side, "But without my eyes and not being able to walk, I feel a little…anxious."

Yuki's hand squeezed his under the blanket. Even without words, Toshiro felt the intent.

_You are safe with me._

He wanted to scoff at the idea that either one of them was able to protect himself or anyone else, but far away from the Seireitei, lost to everyone and too hurt to get back, he found that he and Yuki only really had each other.

_It's only for awhile, while I'm healing. As soon as I can walk, I can convince Yuki to take me to whatever town is closest. There will be someone in the town who can help me to make contact with the Gotei 13. I'll be home in no time._

His mind went, then, to the man who had saved him.

_I could take him to Karkura Town with me. I am sure that whatever is wrong with him, Inoue Orihime can heal. Yeah, I'll help him get healing. It's the right thing to do, considering he took me in like he did. Not everyone would do that. He helped me. I want to help him._

He drifted towards sleep, snug under the blankets, with whispers of additional warmth coming from the other side of the bed. And although he would have thought one like Yuki might not be prone to such good hygiene, his rescuer radiated with a pleasant, masculine scent that had an edge of familiarity.

_I wonder where we might have crossed paths before_, Toshiro wondered, _His scent…and before, his reiatsu…both had that same little bit of familiarity. I wonder why._

He fell asleep, still wondering. Yuki waited until he was sure that Toshiro slept, then he sat up slowly and extended a hand, touching the white-haired taicho's face and sending a flicker of power to make sure he didn't wake.

_It's good seeing you again, Toshiro_, he mused, studying the other man closely_, You look different, I gather, because of the stress of the war that made you have to grow stronger. I wondered what you'd look like if you ever let yourself grow up. I had no idea how entrancing you'd be._

_I'll just say I'm sorry now for blinding you. It won't be forever. I just…was surprised when I found you in all of that wreckage. I might have only looked and left you, but I felt Aizen moving in our direction and I knew better than to let him see me. I knew better than to let myself be seen at all._

_I can't ever go back, I suppose, but we have a little time while your injuries heal. It's good not to be alone…not to be afraid to close my eyes. It doesn't matter who it is who finds me. The Gotei, Aizen…anyone who would know me. I would be taken back to Muken…that black place, where I was hidden and tortured, and nobody even knew I was still alive. No trial. No justice. Not even the peace of dying. They couldn't hurt Aizen, so they hurt me. They would have eventually killed me._

_I can never go back._

_Never._

_But the woods here are quiet and I have everything I need. When you're gone, I'll just go back to counting the rest of the days I live…alone, but at least I'll be free. And I'll have this to look back on when you're gone, _

_Toshiro._

_My little white dragon…_

_What would you say if I told you that you were the hardest one to betray, to leave behind? But someone had to stop Aizen. Back then, I thought I could. I failed, and for a long time, I paid the price in Muken with what the jailors did to my body, to my mind. I will die, rather than to go back. That's why I have to blind your eyes and make sure you can't see me._

_I'm not looking forward to saying goodbye to you, Toshiro._


	2. Ghosts

**Chapter 2: Ghosts**

_Gin flash stepped wildly, his ears filled with the evolved Aizen's dying scream and his heart threatening to burst through the wall of his chest. At first, his terrified mind registered nothing but the intense instinct to flee, and his feet and power carried him several blocks away, where he was able to hide amongst the buildings. As his panic faded, he slowed, and finally stopped in between two shops. He panted softly, staring as he lifted and turned one badly damaged hand. One by one, his white fingers peeled back, revealing the darkened orb underneath. Just looking at it, lying there in his palm, brought a feeling of peace._

"_It's over," he whispered, "It's really over. He's dead. Aizen's gone. I killed him."_

_He was given exactly three long breaths to enjoy his solemn victory, then a sharp chill ran through him from end to end as Aizen's thick, enraged reiatsu rose up, and Gin could feel that the monster was not just alive, but was seeking him with deadly intent. It was almost better, he thought, that Aizen's horrendous powers transported him nearly instantly to Gin's location, before his stunned mind could register how badly he was undone. The man he'd followed for so long with an intent to kill, was hovering in front of him, speaking to him as he attacked, tearing off the arm and hand that held the hogyoku._

"_Don't you understand?" Aizen mocked him, "Even if it is taken from my body, the hogyoku is now…a part of me!"_

_He shoved Kyoka Suigetsu viciously through Gin's unprotected chest._

Gin sat up, screaming hoarsely in terror, the remnants of the memory still dancing macabrely in front of his eyes. He felt strong slender arms wrap around him and he panted and shook as Toshiro's voice sounded in his ear.

"It's okay. You're safe, Yuki. It wasn't real. It was just a dream."

For a moment, Gin was sure that he couldn't breathe. He gasped raggedly, grabbing at his throat and shaking all over. His chest and arm radiated with the remembered pain of Aizen's deadly attack.

_It was like I was back there again…back in Karakura Town…the real one that was brought to Soul Society for its protection. Yes, I was back in Karakura Town, just after I attacked Sousuke and ran away with the hogyoku._

_Then…oh god, then…_

"Yuki!" Toshiro called out to him again, holding onto the other man's shoulders, "Yuki, please calm down. No one is going to hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you!"

It was the last declaration that struck Gin the hardest and unstuck his ragged, grating voice.

"C-can't!" he managed in a haunted tone, "T-too strong."

He was shaken all over again as the blind tenth division taicho laughed softly.

"Okay, maybe we're not in any shape to stand up to someone strong now," Toshiro confessed, "but I'll heal quickly, and I promise you, because you have looked out for me, I will do the same for you. Yuki, I will protect you."

Gin was glad that Toshiro couldn't see the tears that welled up in eyes that he had thought had seen too much, what with Aizen's treachery, Central 46's mercilessness and Kurotsuchi's cruelty, to cry so shamelessly. He sobbed silently into Toshiro's shoulder, feeling warring urges to pull away before his lies were discovered and to hang on for dear life.

_No one ever said they would protect me. _

_Not ever._

_The recruiters from the shinigami academy only said that they would help me find my inner strength, so I could fight hollows. Sousuke promised me that with him, I would discover my true potential and achieve my destiny. I'm used to looking out for myself, though being nearly killed by Aizen, denied justice by Central 46 and tortured to near madness by Kurotsuchi and his ilk in Muken left me almost helpless. To have someone, anyone value my life…tell me that I am worthy of their protection? Even though he doesn't know it is me…I am…touched._

"Yuki?" Toshiro inquired softly, his fingertip capturing a large tear.

He bit his lip and sighed sympathetically.

"S-sorry," Gin apologized roughly.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Toshiro chided him, brushing the long hairs away from his face, "You've had it really rough. I can see that without my eyes."

"B-burden," Gin sighed, burying his face more deeply in Toshiro's shoulder.

_It won't last, my sweet snowflower, so while you're here and I've got you with me, I'm going to take what comfort I can, even though I have to steal it from you while deceiving you. _

_Yeah, it's evil and I know it's wrong, but I need just this little bit of you right now. When I'm stronger, I'll let you go. I'll disappear deeper into the Rukongai and keep hiding. No one can ever know it's me, still here and living. I'd be back in that horrible place and suffering even worse horrors before I could…_

"You're not a burden," Toshiro chided him, making Gin's thoughts scatter like the bright petals of his old comrade, Byakuya's, zanpakuto, "Remember? You found me and you brought me here and took care of me. I'd say that I owe you."

_If only that was true. I was surprised when I saw your collapsed body in the wreckage on the ground and I suddenly stopped feeling so lonely. I know I can't depend on anyone. It's too dangerous. But my desire to be with you overpowered my common sense. The last thing I should do is to keep you here. And I'm committing even worse sins by lying to you about who I am and why I am so damaged._

_God, if we could just go back in time for a little while._

_That was my motivation for bringing you here. Even though I knew it would be only for a little while, and even though after you leave, I'll have to move on and hide again…it's worth it._

_So very worth it!_

"G-good company," Gin stammered.

_I'm so weak and pathetic, and if you knew it was me, you wouldn't be so grateful and so kind, given my past sins. I know Central 46 couldn't forgive me for the things I did, even though I only did them to get close to Aizen for the purpose of killing him._

_Why do I feel like you possibly could?_

_Toshiro._

"Well," Toshiro went on conversationally, "I don't think just my company is enough to thank you for saving my life, so as soon as I am well, I will make sure that you get fully healed too, okay? Do we have a deal?"

Gin smiled a sad smile that his snowy captive couldn't see.

"Deal."

It was a lie, but it felt good to hope even just a little.

"Good," Toshiro chuckled, patting him on the shoulder, "Now, is it morning? I think I see some light."

"Morning," Gin agreed, "Hungry?"

"Yeah. I hate to be a bother. I have some money if you need to get supplies. Is there a shop you go to around here for that?"

"Sorry," Gin apologized, "Far."

"Okay, but are you sure you have enough food for us. I don't want to use up all of your supplies. You know, I could be helpful for hunting. I can't use my powers and I can't see, but I can sense game for you."

Gin smiled.

"Have."

"Oh, you have enough for now. Good. You know, I'll pay you back."

"Stop," Gin said, shaking his head, "Good company."

Toshiro's expression softened.

"So, you get lonely living out here? Why don't you go to a town? There are some good places. I could help you find somewhere to live nearer to civilization."

"N-no," Gin objected, "too dangerous."

"Oh right. I forgot," Toshiro sighed, "But, I think that, once I am well and I go back, you should let me help you find a better situation."

"No," Gin said sadly, "F-freak. Ugly. Criminal."

Toshiro paused, frowning.

"You do realize that I'm a shinigami, yet you willingly tell me you're a criminal? But…you did save me. Can you tell me what happened? I mean, maybe if I hear your story, I could help you out."

Gin exhaled in a sarcastic, hissing laugh.

"Can't. Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Hmm," Toshiro said, his frown deepening, "you don't seem fine to me. I wish you would tell me more, but…I suppose we should focus on getting something to eat."

"Rest," Gin advised him, slipping out of the bed and climbing onto shaky legs.

He dressed slowly, looking out the bedroom window at the snow that still drifted down outside. When he was dressed, he walked out of the bedroom and headed into the kitchen, where he searched his shelves and found something that at least seemed suitable. He took his time with the cooking, and just as he was finishing and placing the meal on plates, Toshiro entered the kitchen, using a hand placed on the wall to guide him.

"Feisty," Gin chuckled.

"I call it being determined," Toshiro corrected him, his voice carrying a friendly warmth the former taicho didn't expect, even given that Toshiro didn't know his true identity.

_But I suppose everyone who grew up in the Rukon learned to be at ease with other Rukon folk. Sure, the nobles looked down on everyone, but here, we were all equals. And sometimes being a criminal doesn't mean being a bad person. A man who steals food to keep from starving is still a thief, so he would do well not to look down on other thieves too much._

_I wonder if Toshiro ever had to steal food._

"Yuki," Toshiro said as he found the table with his hand and then a chair that he sat down on, "how long have you been here?"

"Awhile. Not long," Gin answered, "Can't stay long."

"Because of your crimes?" the taicho asked, "Can you at least tell me if they were violent crimes? I mean…"

"Safe with me," Gin promised solemnly, "Only violent…w-with…"

He paused, remembering.

_I did callously set Rukia up to fight the Arroniero. I did other violent things so that Sousuke wouldn't figure out that I was playing him…but all of the time, he was playing me. I was a violent criminal._

"Safe with me," he repeated slowly, placing a hand on his throat as the continued talking made it feel dry, "No crime anymore. Ever."

Toshiro took a breath and nodded.

"Why did you do it before?" he asked, "Your violent crimes."

_I have to throw him off, but…_

"Monster caged. Me too…tortured…escaped."

Toshiro's blind eyes widened.

"You were tortured, Yuki?" he asked more urgently, "By who? Who caged you?"

Gin froze, staring down at the plates he had picked up. He set one in front of Toshiro and sat down across from him.

"Please eat."

Toshiro picked up his chopsticks and worked steadily at the food on his plate.

"Who did it, Yuki?" he asked again, "I mean, I know you were a criminal, but there's no excuse for torture…not even for monsters. No one should be treated like that. Even criminals deserve humane treatment. Tell me and I'll…"

"No."

"But, why not? I'm a taicho. I can…"

Gin wasn't sure how he moved so quickly, jumping out of his chair and stunning Toshiro with a swift blow to the back of the head. He watched through troubled eyes as the younger man slumped into his plate, then he collected Toshiro's limp body and carried him back to the bedroom. He quickly packed the bare necessities into a shoulder bag, then he removed the seal on the unconscious taicho's vision, and he escaped the cabin he had been calling home, heading deeper into the Rukongai, his heart increasingly heavier by the moment, and his mind tormented.

_I don't know what makes me want so badly to live. I admit that I wish I could go back with Toshiro and be healed and forgiven. I want that so badly, it makes me, a heartless beast and former servant of the even more heartless Aizen Sousuke, cry._

_But there is no forgiveness for me._

_There is no mercy._

_There is no hope._

_Goodbye, my lovely snowflower._

_Please forget me._

XXXXXXXXXX

Toshiro groaned discontentedly as consciousness began to return, and a heavy ache rose up in his head. It increased to a horrid pounding, and he cracked his eyes open, looking around to find himself back in the bed in Yuki's cabin.

He blinked in surprise.

"I can see," he whispered.

He sat up in the bed, placing a hand on his throbbing head.

"Yuki?"

He was stricken immediately with the bareness of the room, the scant coverings on the bed and the lack of curtains or pictures on the walls.

_But a fugitive wouldn't keep a lot of possessions. He would have to be ready to move._

He climbed out of the bed and walked slowly through the cabin, studying the few things that appeared to have been left behind.

_It's so strange. I've felt since the beginning that there was something familiar about him, about Yuki. His voice was distorted because of the damage done to him…_

Toshiro paused, his mind flashing back.

"_Monster caged. Me too…tortured…escaped."_

_Toshiro's blind eyes widened._

"_You were tortured, Yuki?" he asked more urgently, "By who? Who caged you?"_

"Who caged you?" he repeated softly, "Who are you, Yuki?"

He closed his eyes, focusing intently on the residual reaitsu that still clung to the things within the cabin. He thought harder.

_What is this feeling? This sensation that I know I have felt before? I feel that I know this man. I felt it before, when I heard his voice, but I could not look at him, because my eyes were…_

_I was blinded because of my injuries._

But as much as he had been badly injured in the fighting, it just seemed too convenient that, not only was his vision conveniently affected while Yuki was with him, now that the recluse was gone, the blindness was gone too.

_He wanted to help me, but he didn't want me to see him. He was a criminal who was arrested and punished, but he escaped and he wants to remain free and out of sight. He worries he will be recaptured, not just because of the authorities and the ones who tortured him, but because of a monstrous criminal who he…_

A sudden thought struck him, but the idea seemed too impossible for him to accept.

_No._

_He died when Aizen tried to take over. Rangiku told me that Ichimaru Gin confessed to her that he wanted to kill Aizen, because Aizen stole a piece of her soul and gave it to the hogyoku. She repeated that story to Central 46, so that they would consider forgiving his sins, because of his attempt to kill Aizen to avenge her. They refused. They gave her a body. She buried Gin in the Rukongai, where they met._

Despite the weakness that he still felt in his recovering body, Toshiro found himself filled with new strength, and he raced out of the cabin and headed towards the nearest town. It was easy enough from there to figure out where he was, and to make his way back to the place where Ichimaru Gin was supposed to be buried. He found the grave easily, and surprised himself by not hesitating in the slightest, but by digging up the casket and laying a palm on the shrouded bones that were all that remained. But even old bones, he knew, would still radiate with the markers of the person's reiatsu, and these bones told the tenth division taicho a truth that he didn't know how to accept.

_This is a fake!_

_This is not Ichimaru Gin. This body that was given to Rangiku to bury is a fake, meant to make sure that no one knew that Gin was still alive…still alive and held prisoner in Central 46, being tortured._

_Why?_

_Was it retribution?_

_Even though they knew from Rangiku that his aim was always to kill Aizen? But in truth, even if Gin wasn't with Aizen in spirit, he did physically leave to join the man, and he committed unspeakable crimes._

Toshiro froze, his mind replaying everything that had happened since the fugitive found him.

_He could have killed me or just walked away. Gin didn't have to help me. He risked discovery by helping me. Yes, he did blind me so that I would not recognize me, but he only worked to heal me._

_And when I began to ask too many questions, something happened. I remember asking him questions, then…I don't know. Everything just suddenly went blank, and when I woke in the bed, he was gone. _

_He restored my vision before he left._

_Ichimaru Gin is alive!_

Toshiro breathed slowly, silently grappling with the stunning truth.

"He is alive."

_And that makes me curious. If he was kept alive and tortured, what was the goal of the torture? Was it because they wanted revenge on him? On Aizen? Is it because they wanted information? Why did they hide him and torture him? There is a secret there that I sense someone did not want ever revealed. I need to know. I need to know why they kept him alive and gave Rangiku a fake to bury and mourn. I need to know why he was kept and tortured. Did he know something that they wanted him to tell them?_

_What am I missing here?_

A larger question loomed in his unsettled mind as well, one that left little chills running up and down his spine.

_If Ichimaru Gin is still alive and he is hiding out here, what is my obligation? After all, he is supposed to be dead. Central 46 could not acknowledge he is alive and seek his return openly without exposing how he was incarcerated and hidden. They would have to admit the deception._

_If I take the obvious step and report what I know, I will be threatening to expose something they didn't want known. Gin will be a fugitive again. I will become a part of the plot to hide and…and what?_

_I don't want any part of that._

_I just want…_

…_answers…_


End file.
